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Saturday, September 1, 2012

NOTD for PCOS Awareness Month

Hey!

As you may or may not know, September is PCOS Awareness month. For those of you who haven't heard much about PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), I'm going to explain a little bit more about it. There will be a NOTD at the end, but please, please do me a favour and have a read, I promise I won't be scientific or rambly.

PCOS affects 5 to 10 percent of the female population. That's a huge number. Due to the nature of the condition, it doesn't just affect the woman - it has a huge effect on her family too. So, what exactly is it? It's a metabolic disorder that disrupts your hormones, giving the woman higher than normal levels of hormones like insulin. This imbalance can result in weight gain, excess hair, thyroid problems, diabetes, irregular (or no) periods, acne, fertility problems, sleep problems, and high blood pressure. In addition, there may be cysts on the woman's ovaries, which cause problems in trying to conceive a child.

The sad thing is, that many women go undiagnosed because the symptoms of PCOS are often mistaken for other conditions. Most women with PCOS begin to notice the early symptoms in their late teens or twenties - it's really important to go and see your doctor if you're experiencing any (or a combination) of the following symptoms:

Irregular or missed periods

Hair loss

Increased facial hair

Heavy periods

Depression

Acne & Oily Skin

There are also gradual symptoms that develop over time, including (but not limited to):

It's such a common condition - I have witnessed it in some of my friends who would love to start families or just get their hormones under control and it's so hard. It's extra hard to deal with when people make snap judgements about someone who's already feeling low and sensitive - it's easy to look at someone who's overweight or someone with excess facial hair and immediately form an opinion. Next time, consider the possibility of PCOS - I'm sure there are people who have this condition and don't even know it, such is the lack of awareness about it.

That's why you will see a lot of PCOS manicures today - and hopefully you've learned a small bit about PCOS and the unbelievably strong women who are dealing with it on a daily basis. I'm going to post some links to further information, please use them if you or someone you know is one of the many strong women who deal with it on a daily basis.

Now, on to the nails! This was such a great idea from Nory of Fierce Makeup and Nails, who is one of the many ladies who has PCOS. The colours to support awareness of PCOS are teal & white - I used my favourite teal (which was much more teal in the bottle, dangit) - GOSH Ocean.

My nails are all cut back so that I can give them a chance to grow together! Here's what I did.

I stamped butterflies on top of the GOSH with a regular white stamping polish (Essence) and added teal/green glequins (is that their proper name? If not, credit to Sammy!) - I couldn't capture the glequins on camera no matter how much I tried, but I promise they're on there, and they're in the shape of a support ribbon.

I hope this post has been informative, writing it has helped me to understand PCOS a little better. I was delighted to have a chance to help Nory spread awareness, and actually, three people asked me about the logo on my thumb so I was able to explain a little bit about PCOS to them!

Spread the word and please see your doctor if you are experiencing the early symptoms.

This is such a thoughtful, informative post, and your mani is adorable. Love the glequins, and I especially love your thumbnail! I thought about trying to write it on mine too, but no way I'd have been able to do it anywhere near that clearly! ;)

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